The Sahaabah radhiyallahu'anhum were the best people after the Messenger of Allaah sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, and best understood the deen of Islaam as they understood it directly from the Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam. The ijmaa' (consensus) of the Sahaabah radhiyallahu'anhum is therefore binding upon the Muslim Ummah, as is the complete consensus of any generation of scholars on a certain religious issue.

The Sahaabah radhiyallahu'anhum unanimously agreed upon the prohibition of music and song but allowed particular exceptions specified by the authentic sunnah. In the preceding article (FIQ050: Evidences From The Quran That Music Is Haram) we have already quoted some of the Sahaabah such as Ibn Masood and Ibn Abbaas radhiyallahu'anhum. This was also the view of the Four Rightly Guided Khulafaa and the fuqahaa from amongst the Sahaabah radhiyallahu'anhum.

"...musical instruments such as flutes and others are munkar (evil), and the one who is present (where they are being played) should denounce them.He cannot be excused by the fact that there are bad scholars, because they are corrupting the sharee’ah, or evil faqeers (meaning the Sufis, because they call themselves fuqaraa’ or faqeers) because they are ignorant and follow anyone who makes noise; they are not guided by the light of knowledge; rather they are blown about by every wind." (Kifaayat al-Akhyaar, 2/128)

3) Imaam Al-Baghawi [died 516H]He was a scholar from the Shaafi'e school (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated in a fatwa that:

"..it is haraam to sell all kinds of musical instruments such as mandolins, flutes... If the images are erased and the musical instruments are altered, then it is permissible to sell their parts, whether they are silver, iron, wood or whatever." (Sharh al-Sunnah, 8/28)

4) Imaam As-Suyuthy [849-911H]He was another Shaafi'e scholar said :

"And among them ( innovations ) what is innovated from singing/music, dancing and al-wajd ( a Sufi state of in-trance ), the person who indulges in them is of low integrity, his testimony is rejected, he is a sinner to Allah and His messenger, and it is prohibited." ( al-Amru bi Ittiba' pg 99)

5) Imaam An-Nawawy [died 676H]The famous Shaafi'e scholar said :

"Musical instruments such as flutes and Tunboor ( a stringed instrument like a mandolin ) and others, if after being broken up and smashed to pieces are not considered as something of value, selling and buying it is not permissible, for there is no benefit in it according to the Syaree'ah. That is how the companions (of Imam Shaafi'e) verdicted in all their narrations, except al-Mutawally and ar-Rawyaany, both of them narrated an opinion, which is : it is pemissible to sell and buy it, and this is Syadz ( weird ) and Bathil ( false )." ( al-Majmu', kitab al-Buyu')

He also said : "..to sing with some musical instruments which is the character of alcoholics, such as Tunboor, Oud ( a short necked lute ), as-Sunj ( a stringed instrument ) and all other musical instruments and strings, their usage and listening to them are haraam. As for yuraa' ( a kind of flute-horn played by cattle herders ), there are two opinions : al-Baghawy confirmed its prohibition and then mentioned from al-Ghazaly its permissibity and said : The correct one is the prohibition of yuraa'." (ar-Raudhah)

7) Qadhy Abu Tayyib [348-450H]Imaam Shaafi'e said : "The owner of a slave girl, if he gathers people to listen to her ( singing ), he is an idiot and his testimony is rejected. It is an act of diyathah, the one who does that is a dayyuth."

Qadhy Abu Tayyib, one of the senior Syaikhs of as-Shaafi'e school, commented the above saying :

"The reason why he made the owner an idiot is because he calls people to falsehood, anybody who calls people to falsehood is an idiot and faasiq."

And it is mutawatir from Imaam Shaafi'e that he said :

"I left Baghdad ( seeing ) something that is innovated by the heretics ( zanadiqah ), they named it " at-taghbeer ", swaying people from the al-Quran."

Contrary to the commonly held belief, there are a number of authentic narrations from the Prophetic Sunnah which clearly point to the indisputable fact that music, instruments, singing to accompaniment, etc. are objects prohibited by the Islaamic Sharia. The exceptions to this general rule are specific, limited types of innocent singing or chanting without any instrumental accompaniment or to the accompaniment of a simple hand drum (daff) on certain occasions designated by the sunnah.

Unfortunately, many Muslims entertain the misconception that all the ahaadeeth relating to music, singing and musical instruments are either weak (da'eef) or forged (mawdoo') - a position that is untenable.

1) The Narration of al-Bukhaaree: The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam said :

"There will be [at some future time] people from my Ummah who will seek to make lawful fornication, the wearing of silk, wine drinking and the use of musical instruments [ma'aazif]. Some people will stay at the side of the mountain and when their shepherd comes in the evening to ask them for his needs, they will say : 'Return to us tomorrow'. Then Allaah will destroy them during the night by causing the mountain to fall upon them, while He changes others into apes and swine. They will remain in such a state until the Day of Resurrection."

al-Jowhari, the author of the ancient dictionary 'as-Sihaah', asserts that ma'aazif signifies musical instruments, al-'aazif indicates one who sings, and the 'azf of the wind is its voice..

Az-Zabeedi also says that ma'aazif are instruments of leisure which are drummed upon or played, like the loot ('ood) , the drum (tanboor), the small hand drum (daff) or other such musical objects. Ibn Hajar in Fathul-Baaree relates that 'azf is also used to describe singing (ghinaa).

This authentic hadeeth clearly establishes the prohibition of music and singing and this in itself is sufficient for the one who really wishes to see the Truth of the affair. However there are other authentic narrations on the subject that we quote below.

2) The Narration of Ibn Maajah : The Messenger of Allaah sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam said :

"A people of my Ummah will drink wine, calling it by other than its real name. Merriment will be made for them through the playing of musical instruments and the singing of female singers. Allaah will cleave the earth under them and turn others into apes and swine."

This hadeeth has also been narrated by al-Bayhaaqi and ibn Asaakir, and has been authenticated by the renowned scholar of hadeeth Ibn al-Qayyim.

"Verily Allaah prohibited wine, gambling and al-koobah; and every intoxicant is prohibited."

Sufyan said : " I asked the narrator, Ali bin Badheemah, ' What is al-Koobah?' He answered, 'It is the drum'."

The Messenger of Allaah sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam said :"Verily Allaah has prohibited for my Ummah wine, gambling, a drink distilled from corn, the drum and the lute; while He supplemented me with another Prayer, the witr."

4) The Narration of Haakim and Others : The Messenger of Allaah sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam said :

"Verily I did not prohibit weeping [per se], but rather I forbade two voices [sowtayn] which are imbecilic [ahmaq] and sinfully shameless [faajir] :

one a voice [singing] to the accompaniment of musical amusement [lahw] and Satan's [wind] instruments;

the other, a voice [wailing] due to some calamity, accompanied by striking of the face and tearing of garments. But this [weeping off mine] stems from compassion, and whosoever does not show compassion will not receive it."

This hadeeth is graded Hasan, and has been strengthened by other narrations.

"two cursed sounds are that of the [wind] instrument [mizmaar] played on the occasion of joy and grace, and woeful wailing upon the occurrence of adversity."

These narrations should prove sufficient to show the illegality of music and singing to musical accompaniment to the one who "has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful." [Surah Qaf, Verse 37]. Source: "The Clear Evidence that Music is Haram" from http://www.islaamnet.com/